Lacing-up device



Feb. 21, 1956 E. C. GIBSON ET AL LACING-UP DEVICE Filed Nov. 14, 1951- INVENTORS. EUGENE C. 6/56 ON L AWRENCE C. HOL 7' LACING-UP DEVICE Eugene C. Gibson, Havertown, Pa., and Lawrence C. Holt,

Wilmington, Del., assignors, by direct and mesne assignments, to The Chemstrand Corporation, Wilmington,

This invention relates to a lacing-up device. More particularly the invention is concerned with a device for quickly and easily feedinga running tow, sliver, strand, or the like, into the nip of a pair of feedrollers, rotating at a high velocity.

The present invention is applicable to the handling. of a running tow, sliver, strand, filament, yarn, thread, bundle of filaments, film, ribbon, band, fabric,,or the like, whether made from natural, artificial, cellulosic', or synthetic materials. However, for the purpose of simplicity of description, the invention will be described as-it is'applicable to the handling of a running tow or bundle of filaments, it being understood that this is merely intended in an illustrative sense.

in many instances when forming a bundleof filaments, such as by extrusion of a plastic material through a spinneret, it is necessary to conduct the bundle so formed into the nip of feed rollers, or other feeding mechanism, and the like, in order to convey the bundle of filaments or tow to the next station or point of operation.

However, when handling a tow at high speed, for example, 500 feet per minute or more,.it is extremely difiicult to handle the tow by hand, particularly when it is necessary to direct the tow in to the nip of feed rollers, or the like, to convey the material forward in the apparatus. Attempts to handle such material by hand has proven to be quite dangerous to the operator, since he may catch his hands in the nip of the feed rollers, and further, there is danger of damage to the material. Also, there isagreat deal of waste of the material in attempting to thread or feed the same by hand into the. nip of feed rollers, and

the like, which are rotating at a high velocity. Threading and lacing-up a tow treating or forming apparatus at the start of operation may, under certain circumstances, be accomplished by hand since the apparatus, but not always the oncoming tow, may be run at a very slow speed at the start, but when the apparatus is in full scale-operation and operating at high speeds and a break in the tow should occur, it is impractical and wasteful to stop the apparatus and start again or to slow the apparatus down to such a speed that the apparatus may be safely rethreaded or relaced by hand. Therefore, it is desirable to have some sort of mechanism or device which will enable one to readily and easily thread a tow or a broken tow through a tow treating aparatus, tow forming apparatus and/or the like.

Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a device by means of which a running tow, sliver, strand, or the like, etc., may be quickly and easily fed into a tow feeding device, such as a pair of feed rollers, etc., without the danger of injury to the operator and without danger of damage to the tow, and the like.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a lacing-up device which is simple in construction and which reduces waste of the material being handled.

Another specific object of the present invention is to provide a lacing-up device which is pneumatically or hynite States Patent C ice draulically operated and contains a minimum number of movable mechanicalparts which are subject to wear.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a lacing-up device which can be'employed while the mechanism, with which it is associated, is in full operation at top speed.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the description thereof hereinafter.

In general the objectsvof'the present invention are accomplished by providing a piston positioned adjacent the path of travel of" a running tow or a bundle of filaments and also adjacent to the nip of afeeding'mechanism, such asv a. pair of feed rollers, and the like, into which the tow must be fed. Attached to one end of the piston rod: is a member having arcuate or curved sides, said sides converging toward the nip'of the feed rollers. The curvature of the sides ofthe member is approximately equal. to the curvature on the periphery of the feed rollers. In addition there are two small rollers mounted on the member which, when the piston is actuated, rest upon the surface of the feed rollers to prevent the member from touching the feed rollers and also to. assist in feeding the tow into the nip. Positioned adjacent the feed rollers is a knife which serves to cut the tow when. the same is directed into the nip of the feed rollers by the member attached to the piston-rod. After the tow has been; directed into the nip of the feed rollers the piston is returned to inoperative position by springs, .or the. like.

in order to more clearly understand the following detailed description: ofthe invention reference should be had to the. accompanying drawing which illustrates practical embodiments of the invention and which is in no way intended ina limitative sense.

Ina the drawing,

Figure l is a diagrammatic side elevation view of one embodiment of the. invention,

Figure 2. is an enlarged view of the lacing-up device shownin Figure 1 inoperative position,

Figure 3 is a side elevation view of the lacing-up device as the same is employed in connection with a filament crimping. device, and

Figure 4 is a. view taken along the line IV- IV of Figure 1.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 4 of the drawing, a tow or bundle of filaments. 3 is passed under a suitable guide' roller 4 and then above a pairof feed rollers 5 and 6. When it is desired to thread the tow into the nip formed by the feed rollers 5 and 6, the tow is drawn across the top of the rollers and across the V-shaped knife-blade 7 positioned adjacent the rollers. Any other type knifeblade or tow cutting device may be. employed if desired, such. as a straight knife-blade, rotary cutter, and the like.

Positioned above the nip formed by the rollers 5 and 6 is an air cylinder 8 having a. piston 9 therein. Any other gas or, liquid, or mechanical means may be employed to actuate the piston 9 if desired. The piston-rod lit extends downwardly toward the feed rollers and has a member 11 attached to the lower end thereof. The member 11 acts as a tow positioning member to direct the tow into the nip when it is actuated. The member 11 has two arcuate or curved lower surfaces 12 and 13 which converge toward the nip of the rollers-5 and 6, the curvature thereof being approximately equal to the curvature on the periphery of the rollers 5 and 6 respectively. As shown in Figure 4, the lower end of member 11 is grooved at 11:: so as to fit around the tow 3 when the member 11 is actuated. Mounted. on the member 11' at the ends thereof are the small freely rotatable rollers 14 and 15 which, when the piston has been lowered, rest upon the surfaces. of the rollers 5 and 6 or upon the tow-when the same is disposed therebetween.

Attached to the cylinder 8, adjacent the upper end thereof, is an air line 16 which is connected to a main air supply (not shown). Air is admitted to cylinder 8 through the line or conduit 16 by means of a hand valve, foot valve, and/or the like of conventional design, not shown. It is preferred to employ a foot operated valve to admit the air to cylinder 8 since this enables the operator to have both hands free to handle the tow 3 in directing the same across the top of the feed rollers 5 and 6 and the knife 7. While it is preferred to employ an air actuated piston, a liquid actuated piston may be employed if desired, or a mechanical lever apparatus.

Attached to the internal surface of the cylinder 8 is an arcuate ring or stop 18 which limits the upward movement of the piston 9. Encircling the rod 10 and extending between the piston 9 and the lower inner wall of the cylinder 8 is a compression spring 17 which serves to return the piston 9 against the stop 18, as shown in Figure 1, upon a release in the air pressure in the cylinder 8.

It is to be understood that while the lacing-up device shown in Figure 1, is disposed in a vertical position, the invention contemplates the use of such a lacing-up device disposed in a horizontal position or any other position at an angle between the horizontal and the vertical. In addition, any other suitable guide means. may be employed in place of the roller guide 4, as desired.

The operation of the lacing-up device as shown in the drawing is as follows: the tow 3 is directed by hand, or any other suitable means, across the top surface of the feed rollers 5 and 6 and across the knife-blade 7. Immediately upon positioning the tow 3 as described, air is admitted to the cylinder 8 thus causing the member 11, and its associated parts, to be forced downwardly into the nip of the feed rollers 5 and 6 and at the same time carrying the tow 3 into the nip therewith. The force of directing the tow 3 downwardly into the nip of the feed rollers causes the tow 3 to be gripped firmly in the V-shaped knife 7 and the same is thereby cut so that the tow is then free to pass between the feed rollers 5 and 6. It should be noted that the action of lowering the piston and member takes place quickly, the time being approximately one second or less. In Figure 2 the lacing-up device is shown in operative position. It is to be noted that the rollers on the member 11 serve a two-fold purpose. Not only do they prevent the member 11 from contacting the surfaces of the rollers 5 and 6 but more important, they assist in feeding the tow into the nip of the feed rollers. That is, they are rotated by the feed rollers 5 and 6 in the feeding direction and consequently the tow 3 cannot move in any direction but into the nip of the rollers.

Referring to Figure 3, the lacing-up device of the present invention is shown as it is employed in feeding a tow into the nip of the feed rollers of a crimping device. In this embodiment, the crimping and relaxing chamber 20 is formed by the feed rollers 50, 6a, a panel 21, a removable cover plate 22, the diverging doctor blades 23, 24 and the downwardly inclined strip 25 which is one arm of a lever pivoted at 25a, the other arm 26 of which terminates in an enlarged portion 27. The removable cover plate 22 may be screwed to the doctor blades which in turn are screwed to the panel 21. The total weight of 26 and 27 must be lighter than arm 25. The doctor blades 23 and 24 are fixed to panel 21 in diverging relation with their upper ends abutting against rollers 5a, 6a, below the nip of the rollers, to control the deflection of the tow leaving the nip. As shown, the lacing-up device, shown and described in Figures 1 and 2, is positioned above the nip of rollers 5a, 6a.

Steam is introduced into the chamber 20 through the pipes or conduits 28 and 29. The crimping device or apparatus, exclusive of the lacing-up device, is that shown and described in the pending application of L. C. Holt, Serial Number 18,306, filed October 4, 1950. The steam in chamber 20 causes rollers 5a and 6a to become extremely hot and any attempt to feed the tow into the nip thereof by hand would result in serious burns. The

4 lacing-up device of the present invention has proved extremely useful in connection with the crimping device as shown in Figure 3 and all danger of burns is thereby alleviated.

As previously pointed out the present invention enables one to handle a running tow moving at high speeds, for example 500 feet per minute or more, and direct the same into the nip of feed rollers and the like, without danger or injury to the operator, and without danger of damage to the material. In addition, the present device reduces the waste of the material being handled by a considerable amount, for example, about A, i. e. 10 to 6% down to 4 to 1%. The lacing-up device of the present invention is easy to install in existing tow forming and treating apparatus and in addition is simple in construction and has a minimum number of movable mechanical parts which are subject to wear. In connection with the crimping device shown in Figure 3 of the drawing, the lacing-up device has proved to be extremely useful and has resulted in a reduction in waste from 8% to 2% and lower. Numerous other advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

It is to be understood that changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

l. A lacing-up device for directing a running length of material into a feeding mechanism, comprising material feeding means, material positioning means mounted adjacent the feeding means, said positioning means comprising a material-positioning member having curved sides converging toward the feeding means, rollers mounted on either side of the member at a point adjacent the curved sides thereof farthest removed from the feeding means, said rollers being positioned to contact the material when the material-positioning means is actuated, means for moving the positioning means toward and away from the feeding means, and material cutting means positioned adjacent the feeding means.

2. A lacing-up device as defined in claim 1 wherein the feeding means comprises a pair of rotatably mounted feed rollers.

3. A lacing-up device as defined in claim 1 wherein the means for moving the material positioning means is a pneumatic means.

4. A lacing-up device as defined in claim 1 wherein the cutting means is a V-shaped knife-blade.

5. A lacing-up device as defined in claim 1 wherein there are guide means preceding the feeding means along the path of travel of the material.

6. A lacing-up device for directing a running length of a material into a feeding mechanism, comprising a pair of rotatably mounted feed rollers, material positioning means mounted adjacent the nip of the feed rollers, and positioning means comprising a piston, a piston-rod attached to the piston, said piston-rod having a materialpositioning mmeber atached to the end thereof, said member having curved sides converging toward the nip of the feed rollers, rollers mounted on either side of the memher at a point adjacent the curved sides thereof farthest removed from the nip of the feed rollers, said rollers being positioned to rest upon the feed rollers when the material positioning means is actuated, means for moving the material positioning means toward and away from the nip, and material cutting means, positioned adjacent the feed rollers.

7. A lacing-up device as defined in claim 6 wherein th means for moving the material positioning means is a pneumatic means.

8. A lacing-up device as defined in claim 6 wherein the cutting means is a V-shaped knife-blade.

9. A lacing-up device as defined in claim 6 wherein there are guide means preceding the feed rollers along the path of travel of the material.

10. A lacing-up device for directing a running length of a material into a feeding mechanism, comprising a pair of rotatably mounted feed rollers, material positioning means mounted adjacent the nip of the feed rollers, said positioning means comprising a piston, a piston-rod attached to the piston, said piston-rod having a materialpositioning member attached to the end thereof, said member having curved sides converging toward the nip of the feed rollers, rollers mounted on either side of the member at a point adjacent the curved sides thereof farthest removed from the nip of the feed rollers, said rollers being positioned to rest upon the feed rollers when the material positioning means is actuated, pneumatic means for moving the material-positioning means toward and away from the nip, and a V-shaped knife-blade positioned adjacent the feed rollers for cutting the material when the material-positioning means is actuated.

11. A lacing-up device as defined in claim 10 wherein there are guide means preceding the feed rollers along the path of travel of the material.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,311,174 Hitt Feb. 16, 1943 2,326,671 Patterson, Jr. Aug. 10, 1943 2,346,19 Sjostrom Apr. 11, 1944 2,481,197 Caille Sept. 6, 1949 2,505,618 Hammerle Apr. 25, 1950 2,514,557 Pfau July 11, 1950 2,534,459 Lawson Dec. 19, 1950 

